Directory

Biography

Dr. Brann explores the integration of health, interpersonal, and gender communication. Her translational focus and mixed methods approach are woven throughout her health vulnerabilities research, which advocates for more effective communication to improve people’s health. Her primary research interests focus on the study of women’s and ethical issues in health communication contexts and promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors. Specifically, she seeks to understand the communicative negotiations regarding interpersonal communicative negotiations and societal views of reproductive loss, more empathic provider communication during bad news delivery and shared decision-making interactions, promotion of preventive health activities, and collegiate education and socialization processes. Theoretically, she researches communication at both the micro and macro levels. She studies how communication influences the aforementioned areas in relationships among individuals and with the social world. Methodologically, her research questions guide the specific data-gathering techniques she employs and includes interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, and observations.

Education

• PhD, University of Kentucky, 2003
• MPH, West Virginia University, 2014
• MA, Purdue University, 2000
• BA, Purdue University, 1997

Teaching

Health Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Family Communication, Relational Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Gender Communication, Qualitative Research Methods, Capstone

Publications

• Bute, J. J., Brann, M., Buskmiller, C., & Fredenburg, M. (2023). “There’s no time limit on grief:” Patient perspectives on a novel reproductive grief screening tool. PEC Innovation, 3, 100244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100244
• Martin, N., Brann, M., & Goering, B. (2023). Socializing employees into a culture of health. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 16(2/3), 222-237. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-04-2022-0057
• Buskmiller, C., Grauerholz, K. R., Bute, J., Brann, M., Fredenburg, M., & Refuerzo, J. S. (2023). Validation of a brief measure for complicated grief specific to reproductive loss. Cureus, 15(4), e37884. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.37884
• Brann, M. (2023). Informed consent. In E. Y. Ho, C. L. Bylund, J. C. M. van Weert, I. Basnyat, N. Bol, & M. Dean (Eds.), The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication (pp. 1208-1212). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0871
• Scott, S. F., Johnson, N. L., & Brann, M., & Bute, J. J. (2022). “Had I gone into the office, they would have caught it a little bit sooner”: Narrative problematics in U.S. pandemic birth stories. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 50(6), 711-729. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2022.2143275
• Shanks, A. L., Brann, M., Bute, J., Borse, V. C., Tonismae, T., & Scott, N. (2021). Breaking bad news: A randomized trial assessing resident performance after novel video instruction. Cureus, 13(6), e15461. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.15461
• Brann, M., Bute, J. J., Keeley, M., Petronio, S., Pines, R., & Watson, B. (2021). Interpersonal health communication theories. In T. L. Thompson & P. J. Schulz (Eds.), Health Communication Theory (pp. 67-88). Wiley.
• Johnson, N. L., Scott, S. F., & Brann, M. (2020). “Our birth experiences are what binds us”: Women’s motivations for storytelling about birth to build motherwisdom. Communication Studies, 71(4), 649-668. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2020.1771391
• Bute, J. J., & Brann, M. (2020). Tensions and contradictions in interns’ communication about unexpected pregnancy loss. Health Communication, 35(5), 529-537. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1570429
• Brann, M., Bute, J. J., & Scott, S. F. (2020). Qualitative assessment of bad news delivery practices during miscarriage diagnosis. Qualitative Health Research, 30(2), 258-267. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1049732319874038
• Brann, M. (2019). Validating women and their miscarriage experiences: An application of confirmation theory. In T. Avtgis, A. Rancer, E. MacGeorge, & C. Liberman (Eds.), Casing communication theory (pp. 247-259). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
• Brann, M., & Russell, L. (2019). Multifaceted contents and techniques for designing health communication courses. Journal of Communication Pedagogy, 2, 23-26. https://doi.org/10.31446/JCP.2019.06
• Bute, J. J., Brann, M., & Hernandez, R. (2019). Exploring societal-level privacy rules for talking about miscarriage. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(2), 379-399. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0265407517731828
• Brann, M., & Bute, J. J. (2017). Communicating to promote informed decisions in the context of early pregnancy loss. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(12), 2269-2274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2017.06.016
• Bute, J. J., & Brann, M. (2015). Co-ownership of private information in the miscarriage context. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 43(1), 23-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2014.982686
• Brann, M. (2015). No time to grieve: Losing my life’s love and regaining my own
• strength. In M. Brann (Ed.), Contemporary case studies in health communication: Theoretical & applied approaches (2nd ed., pp. 23-34). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
• Brann, M. (2015). Nine years later and still waiting: When health care providers’ social support never arrives. In R. Silverman & J. Baglia (Eds.), Pregnancy loss: A narrative collection (pp. 19-31). New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.
• Brann, M. (2013). Helping patients get what they need: Persuading health care providers of perceived threat and positive outcome expectations. In C. J. Liberman (Ed.), Casing persuasive communication (pp. 237-248). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
• Staggers, S. M., & Brann, M. (2011). Making health information clear and readable for the masses. Communication Teacher, 25(2), 94-99. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2010.528004

Awards

GRANTS

Principal Investigator for IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute (IAHI) grant titled “At a
Loss: Using Performance to Explain How Friends Communicate about Infertility,” 2022-2023.

Principal Investigator for Life Perspectives grant titled “Investigating Communication Preferences after Pregnancy Loss,” 2021-2022.

Co-Principal Investigator on a Program Review and Assessment Committee (PRAC)
Grant titled, “Designing a Sustainable Assessment Plan for the Communication Studies Gateway-to-Capstone ePortfolio Initiative,” 2021-2022.

Co-Principal Investigator for IU Emergency Equity Fund for Research grant titled “Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mothers Raising a Newborn,” 2021.

Co-Principal Investigator for IUPUI Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research COVID-
19 Rapid Response Grant titled “Understanding COVID-19 Birth Stories,” 2020-2021.

Principal Investigator for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contract titled “Three Occupational Specific Units for the Workplace Violence Course: Focus Group Discussion for the Stand-alone Facilities, Home Health/Social Services, and Emergency Responder Units,” 2018-2019.

Co-Principal Investigator on an Indiana University Center for Teaching and Learning
Curriculum Enhancement Grant titled, “Preparing Graduate Students to Succeed in School and Beyond: Creating Proseminars in Graduate Education and Pedagogy,” 2018-2019.

Co-Principal Investigator on an Indiana University Center for Teaching and Learning
Curriculum Enhancement Grant titled, “Development of Five Graduate Communication Studies Courses for a New Online Certificate,” 2016-2017.

Co-Principal Investigator for Central States Communication Association Federation Prize titled, “Women’s Perceptions of Provider Communication about Miscarriage,” 2016.

Co-Principal Investigator on an Indiana University School of Liberal Arts Online Course Development Grant titled, “Development of Five Online Graduate Communication Studies Courses,” 2016.

Co-Principal Investigator for IUPUI Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research Release Time for Research (RTR) grant titled “Improving Bad News Delivery: Training Residents to Talk about Miscarriage,” 2015.

Principal Investigator for IU School of Liberal Arts Summer Research grant titled “Improving Bad News Delivery: Training Residents to Talk about Miscarriage,” 2015.

Co-Investigator for IUPUI Developing Diverse Researchers with InVestigative Expertise (DRIVE) grant titled “Managing Private Information about Miscarriage: Couples’ Perspectives,” 2012.

Principal Investigator on a West Virginia University Office of Service Learning Programs Mini-Grant titled “Using Service Learning to Enhance Students’ Understanding of Health Communication Campaigns,” 2005.

TEACHING

• Teaching and Engaged Learning Honoree, IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, 2020
• Outstanding Mentor/Motivator, IUPUI Liberal Arts Student Council, 2019
• Trustees Teaching Award, IUPUI, 2015

RESEARCH

• Distinguished Lecturer, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2017
• Federation Prize Recipient, Central States Communication Association, 2016
• Recognized as one of the most prolific scholars (top 1%) in Communication Studies, 2007-2011
• Top Paper, Rhetorical Theory and Criticism Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, Madison, WI, 2022
• Top Four Paper, Health Communication and Interpersonal and Family Interest Groups, Central States Communication Association, Madison, WI, 2022
• Top Four Paper, Health Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, Cincinnati, OH, 2021
• Top Five Paper, Health Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, Omaha, NE, 2019
• Top Paper, Applied Communication Interest Group, Eastern Communication Association, Philadelphia, PA, 2015
• Top Paper, Nonverbal Communication Interest Group, Eastern Communication Association, Providence, RI, 2014
• Top Four Paper, Interpersonal Communication Division, National Communication Association, Washington, DC, 2013
• Top Paper, Interpersonal Communication Interest Group, Eastern Communication Association, Baltimore, MD, 2010
• Top Paper, Instructional/Developmental Communication Division, International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada, 2008

Academic Interests

Health communication, communication about pregnancy loss, communication about reproductive loss grief, provider communication of bad news and shared-decision making, public health communication about safe and healthy lifestyle choices, communicating support to pregnant women and new mothers

Service

UNIVERSITY 

• Graduate Curriculum Committee, School of Liberal Arts, IUPUI, 2023-
• Promotion & Tenure Review Committee, School of Liberal Arts, IUPUI, 2021-2023
• Health Care Task Force, Institute of Reproductive Grief Care, 2021-
• Promotion & Tenure Review Committee, School of Liberal Arts, 2021-
• Faculty Enhancement Review Committee, School of Liberal Arts, 2018-2021
• Community, Healthcare Delivery, & Implementation Science Project Development Team, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, 2017-2020
• Ethics in Global Health Working Group, IUPUI, 2017-2018
• Chapter Advisor, Global Medical Brigades, 2015-2018
• Research Advisory Committee, School of Liberal Arts, 2015-2017

COMMUNITY

• Health Care Task Force, Life Perspectives, 2021-
• Transforming Reproductive Grief in the Emergency Department Working Group, 2021-
• Improved Communication with Researchers Taskforce, Indiana State Department of Health, 2021-
• Expert Reviewer, COVID-19 Expert Review Rapid Response Taskforce, WISE Indiana, 2020-
• COVID-19 Vaccine Equitable Distribution and Communication Advisory Group, Indiana State Department of Health, 2020

DISCIPLINE 

• Current Editorial Review Board Member: Journal of Family Communication (2020-), Health Communication (2019-), Journal of Communication Pedagogy (2018-), and Communication Education (2009-)
• Seminar Series Planner, National Communication Association, 2016
• Chair, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, 2014
• Eastern Communication Association Representative to the National Communication Association Nominating Committee, 2012
• Chair, Health Communication Interest Group, Eastern Communication Association, 2009
• Chair, Interpersonal Communication Interest Group, Eastern Communication Association, 2006